21-Nights Highlights of Australia & New Zealand - Escorted Tours from $17,023

Itinerary Details

Day 1: Arrive in Melbourne

Settle into your hotel on the banks of the Yarra River and meet your Travel Director for a Welcome Reception and dinner at the South Wharf riverside pub, The General Assembly restaurant. It's a great opportunity to get to know everyone in a unique setting.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Melbourne (4 Star Rating)

For three decades, the iconic Crowne Plaza Melbourne has played a definitive role in Melbourne’s rich cultural history. Recently reimagined, discover Crowne Plaza Melbourne’s new modern era proudly situated within the architectural façade that is innately recognised along the Yarra River.

Escape to our absolute riverfront hotel. With spacious guestrooms and unrivalled city skyline and river views, you’ll wake up feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. Our Docklands hotel offers 432 modern rooms with luxurious bedding and premium amenities to ensure an enjoyable stay.

Meal(s): Dinner

Join your Travel Director for a city sights tour that includes a private walk through Melbourne's famous hidden laneways. You'll discover the city's eclectic little lanes, arcades, café society and fascinating street art. There's time afterwards to explore on your own. Or, consider an optional experience to Phillip Island to see the nightly ritual of the Penguin Parade. Or simply relax and watch the world go by.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Melbourne (4 Star Rating)

For three decades, the iconic Crowne Plaza Melbourne has played a definitive role in Melbourne’s rich cultural history. Recently reimagined, discover Crowne Plaza Melbourne’s new modern era proudly situated within the architectural façade that is innately recognised along the Yarra River.

Escape to our absolute riverfront hotel. With spacious guestrooms and unrivalled city skyline and river views, you’ll wake up feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. Our Docklands hotel offers 432 modern rooms with luxurious bedding and premium amenities to ensure an enjoyable stay.

Meal(s): Breakfast

If you're still getting your bearings in Melbourne, take your time to wander, exploring its boutiques, galleries, and eclectic suburbs. Or, perhaps exploring the city on foot with a History and Donuts Walking Tour is more your thing. However, if you're ready to explore beyond the city limits, consider embarking on a journey along the Great Ocean Road. This legendary stretch of coastline truly lives up to its reputation as one of the most breathtaking touring routes globally. As you wind your way along this scenic route, be prepared to encounter breathtaking views at every turn, making it an unforgettable journey that truly showcases the natural beauty of Australia.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Melbourne (4 Star Rating)

For three decades, the iconic Crowne Plaza Melbourne has played a definitive role in Melbourne’s rich cultural history. Recently reimagined, discover Crowne Plaza Melbourne’s new modern era proudly situated within the architectural façade that is innately recognised along the Yarra River.

Escape to our absolute riverfront hotel. With spacious guestrooms and unrivalled city skyline and river views, you’ll wake up feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. Our Docklands hotel offers 432 modern rooms with luxurious bedding and premium amenities to ensure an enjoyable stay.

Meal(s): Breakfast

The rusty red landscapes of Uluru beckon as you leave Melbourne for Ayers Rock Resort, experiencing the rugged desert landscapes while learning about the geological history of Australia. Stopping at the Mt. Conner lookout before arriving at Ayers Rock Resort. In the heart of Australia, Uluru has been home to the Anangu for millennia. You will discover their connection to the land when you arrive in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park at sunset to watch the shifting colours transform the desert. Follow your guide to the perfect perch to capture Uluru as the last of the day disappears, glass of bubbles in hand (of course). Not

ready to go home yet? Discuss with your Travel Director the option to elevate your evening with the exclusive Uluru Barbecue Dinner.

Hotel: Mercure Alice Springs Resort (4 Star Rating)

Hotel for travellers looking for local and authentic experiences.

Located on the Todd River and only a few minutes' walk from the town centre, galleries and cultural precinct. Barra on Todd Restaurant and Bar offers distinctive cuisine and delectable dishes seasoned with local flavours. We offer 139 comfortable, spacious rooms including refurbished Standard and Superior rooms with stunning imagery of the Red Centre. Deluxe category rooms overlook the Todd River from a private balcony. All rooms offer complimentary fast wi-fi and parking.

Meal(s): Breakfast

The only reason to get out of bed before dawn? For a magical Uluru sunrise. It’s a spiritual place, with stories of the Anangu, caretakers of this remote arid landscape revealed while you tour the base. The red desert follows you to Kata Tjuta, where nature humbles as you walk through the towering domes of this ancient rock formation. Cheers to the end of another amazing day.

Hotel: Desert Gardens Hotel (3 Star Rating)

Imagine waking up to a sunrise view of Uluru, blazing red under a sunny Outback sky. Desert Gardens Hotel boasts the only rooms with views of Uluru in Ayers Rock Resort. Perched within an oasis of native gardens, the hotel’s 218 elegant guestrooms provide a relaxing retreat from a day of adventure. Accommodation options are diverse, from deluxe rock view rooms to shady poolside rooms, each located under a canopy of towering gumtrees and garden beds dotted with native shrubs and flowers.

Meal(s): Breakfast

The only reason to get up before dawn on your last day in Uluru is to glimpse the kaleidoscopic Field of Light art installation of artist Bruce Munro on an Optional Experience. 50,000 glowing spindles of light blanketing the desert.Clamber to the top of a sand dune to marvel in the morning unfolding over this very special part of the world. Later, an Anangu artist will explain just what makes it so spiritual over an introduction to Western Desert art, introducing totems and symbols important to the region and represented in paintings and installations. Head to your next stop in tropical Cairns.

Hotel: Hilton Cairns (4 Star Rating)

Set amid tropical greenery on Cairns’ waterfront, our hotel is a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef Terminal, where the majority of trips depart, is just 400 meters from our hotel. Within 22 kilometers, reach Crystal Cascades and Cairns Botanic Gardens. We have a lagoon-style outdoor pool and treatments in our spa.

Meal(s): Breakfast

Cruising with crocs, a scenic railway ride into World Heritage listed rainforest, a wander along the Cairns Esplanade? Take to the skies for a bird’s eye view with a balloon flight over the Atherton Tablelands, the hot air ballooning capital of the southern hemisphere. Or, dive into nature learning traditional hunting and gathering skills as you search for bush tucker of mud crabs, fish, and mussels in the Daintree Rainforest. Taste and share your catch before a guided interpretive walk through the ancient rainforest. Another option is to take a historic rail journey winding across bridges and through tunnels to Kuranda village, nestled in a tropical rainforest to explore its colourful and interesting arts and crafts. Return to the lowlands on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway over and through the some of the oldest rainforest in the world. You can also choose to pair your trip to Kuranda with a visit to Hartley’s Crocodile for a wetlands cruise through the ecologically significant Melaleuca wetlands, the home of the saltwater crocodile.

Today the choice is yours. Celebrate the end of an incredible day at dinner on Cairns’ waterfront at Salt House for regional seafood plucked straight from the ocean, highlighting fresh, local ingredients, and prepared on their custom-built Argentinian wood fired grill.

Hotel: Hilton Cairns (4 Star Rating)

Set amid tropical greenery on Cairns’ waterfront, our hotel is a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef Terminal, where the majority of trips depart, is just 400 meters from our hotel. Within 22 kilometers, reach Crystal Cascades and Cairns Botanic Gardens. We have a lagoon-style outdoor pool and treatments in our spa.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner

The world's largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef, never fails to dazzle. Set out on a catamaran to explore this natural wonder of over 1,500 species of fish, 215 different birds, 3,000 molluscs, six of the world's seven marine turtle species, and 30 species of dolphins and whales are residents. Strap on a snorkel or visit an underwater observatory and semi-submersible craft to take in the menagerie without getting your hair wet. A tropical buffet lunch is served on board before returning to Cairns.

Hotel: Hilton Cairns (4 Star Rating)

Set amid tropical greenery on Cairns’ waterfront, our hotel is a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef Terminal, where the majority of trips depart, is just 400 meters from our hotel. Within 22 kilometers, reach Crystal Cascades and Cairns Botanic Gardens. We have a lagoon-style outdoor pool and treatments in our spa.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch

Touch down in Australia's largest city and spend a day at leisure in the buzzing metropolis of Sydney. Take a stroll along the iconic harbor, visit one of the city's many bars, pubs, or restaurants, or simply while away the day at the beach. You decide how best to enjoy this bustling city of delights.

Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel Sydney (5 Star Rating)

Welcome the height of luxury, where heritage wonder and contemporary flair collide. Centrally positioned in the heart of Circular Quay, InterContinental Sydney extends breathtaking panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Set within the beautifully restored Treasury Building of 1851, InterContinental Sydney is renowned as one of the city’s prized icons with 509 guest rooms including 28 luxury suites, an award-winning and world class Club InterContinental lounge and vibrant dining venues. Complete with a $120 million refurbishment elevating rooms, public spaces, bars and restaurants, a new era of luxury awaits.

Meal(s): Breakfast

Bring your stamina: today is one of innumerable highlights. Go on a tour of the Sydney Opera House, discovering its architectural and performance secrets. If these sails could talk. Then see the city from the water on a Sydney Harbor Highlight Lunch Cruise enjoying a menu focusing on local food and wine. See Circular Quay and Shark Island as well as magnificent waterfront homes, beaches, parklands, the Opera House's grand sails and the Harbor Bridge. One icon to another: The world's most famous beach beckons this afternoon, with your chance to pad along the sand at Bondi with Sydney's beautiful people.

Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel Sydney (5 Star Rating)

Welcome the height of luxury, where heritage wonder and contemporary flair collide. Centrally positioned in the heart of Circular Quay, InterContinental Sydney extends breathtaking panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Set within the beautifully restored Treasury Building of 1851, InterContinental Sydney is renowned as one of the city’s prized icons with 509 guest rooms including 28 luxury suites, an award-winning and world class Club InterContinental lounge and vibrant dining venues. Complete with a $120 million refurbishment elevating rooms, public spaces, bars and restaurants, a new era of luxury awaits.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch

The hardest decision you have to make today: explore more of Sydney, or head to the Blue Mountains, 11,400 square kilometres of World Heritage listed wilderness, a place where sandstone escarpments appear to cleave off the edge of the Earth and waterfall-cooled valleys of rainforest slip dreamily from the pages of a fairytale. Or why not linger around the harbour – perhaps it’s time to glimpse it from above on a Sydney BridgeClimb. This bird’s-eye view

certainly puts things in perspective. Back at ground level, you’re in the heart of the Rocks, the city’s original colonial settlement and a place of cobbled alleys and private galleries. Your Tour Director can assist you with purchasing these additional experiences or point you in the right direction to explore on your own.

Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel Sydney (5 Star Rating)

Welcome the height of luxury, where heritage wonder and contemporary flair collide. Centrally positioned in the heart of Circular Quay, InterContinental Sydney extends breathtaking panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Set within the beautifully restored Treasury Building of 1851, InterContinental Sydney is renowned as one of the city’s prized icons with 509 guest rooms including 28 luxury suites, an award-winning and world class Club InterContinental lounge and vibrant dining venues. Complete with a $120 million refurbishment elevating rooms, public spaces, bars and restaurants, a new era of luxury awaits.

Meal(s): Breakfast

You could spend weeks exploring Sydney. Months even. But you have today, so get set for a wild ride. Your agenda is completely up to you, but we have more than a few ideas. And ideally a stroll through the Royal Botanic Garden, which offers so many lookouts for sparkling harbour views. This evening, celebrate your tour at a Highlight Dinner at Midden restaurant at the Sydney Opera House. Talk about ending on a high.

Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel Sydney (5 Star Rating)

Welcome the height of luxury, where heritage wonder and contemporary flair collide. Centrally positioned in the heart of Circular Quay, InterContinental Sydney extends breathtaking panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Set within the beautifully restored Treasury Building of 1851, InterContinental Sydney is renowned as one of the city’s prized icons with 509 guest rooms including 28 luxury suites, an award-winning and world class Club InterContinental lounge and vibrant dining venues. Complete with a $120 million refurbishment elevating rooms, public spaces, bars and restaurants, a new era of luxury awaits.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner

All you have to do today is sit back and enjoy the view as you cross the Tasman to embark on your next adventure. Join your traveling companions for at The Grill, celebrating Aotearoa's culinary treasures. Expect the finest quality grassfed steaks, from 100% New Zealand owned and operated suppliers, and sustainable line-caught fish.

Hotel: Horizon by SkyCity (5 Star Rating)

Imagine a place where glass blends into the sky, where technology knows what you need before you need it, where staff welcome returning friends. A place where business and pleasure walk hand in hand, where one switch turns everything off, where tried and true meets novel and new. A comfortable place where you can be with friends for a night out... or just simply be.

Looking out, you’ll get lost in the views of Auckland city, where cityscapes turn to landscapes in seconds. Inside, hints of Aotearoa can be found in every corner of your spacious room, from locally crafted amenities, to New Zealand art throughout. Thoughtfully designed with horizon-like curves throughout the hotel, the rooms and suites offer everything you need, right when you need it.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner

If you didn’t get your city bearings yesterday, you will on an Auckland tour today. Have your camera poised as you reach Mission Bay, a dreamy waterside suburb where the blues patchwork to the horizon. Click! Then get snap happy once again at Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial, offering epic vistas over Auckland and its harbors. Click, click, click! Want some tips on how to spend your free afternoon in New Zealand’s largest city? How about going behind the scenes of the All Blacks, arguably the world’s most legendary rugby team?

Hotel: Horizon by SkyCity (5 Star Rating)

Imagine a place where glass blends into the sky, where technology knows what you need before you need it, where staff welcome returning friends. A place where business and pleasure walk hand in hand, where one switch turns everything off, where tried and true meets novel and new. A comfortable place where you can be with friends for a night out... or just simply be.

Looking out, you’ll get lost in the views of Auckland city, where cityscapes turn to landscapes in seconds. Inside, hints of Aotearoa can be found in every corner of your spacious room, from locally crafted amenities, to New Zealand art throughout. Thoughtfully designed with horizon-like curves throughout the hotel, the rooms and suites offer everything you need, right when you need it.

Meal(s): Breakfast

Get up close with NZ's national bird, the endangered kiwi, at a working nursery and hatchery. See how breeding programs help sustain the population. Then, immerse yourself in the Te Pa Tu Maori Experience, celebrating Maori history, traditions and future aspirations celebrated over forest kai horotai (seasonal canapés) with chef choice aperitif, and a delicious three-course meal.

Hotel: Millennium Hotel Rotorua (4 Star Rating)

Next to mystical Lake Rotorua and just a short stroll from the city centre, Millennium Hotel Rotorua is an eco-friendly destination offering comfort and convenience in the heart of New Zealand’s geothermal wonderland. Perfect for leisure and business travellers, our hotel is within walking distance of Polynesian Spa, Rotorua’s vibrant dining scene, and local attractions.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner

Leave Auckland behind and journey into the countryside for an exclusive family-style Be My Guest experience in the Red Barn on a working dairy farm. Over your farm to table morning tea prepared by the onsite chef, get a feel for country life as you're invited to roll up your sleeves and make your own butter - butter churners, tiny mason jars and all! The feel-good vibes that endure will follow you all the way to Queenstown, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of New Zealand. It makes perfect sense – there are ski fields, white-water river, and bridges strapped with bungy cords wherever you turn. And then there’s the dining scene; Queenstown is home to some of the country’s most awarded restaurants. Whether you’re in the mood for bulging burgers or lakeside tapas, ask us for recommendations on this leg of your Queenstown New Zealand tour.

Hotel: Millennium Hotel Queenstown (4 Star Rating)

Right in the heart of the action, Millennium Hotel Queenstown is just minutes from Queenstown central shopping, entertainment, and outdoor activities such as bungy jumping, white water rafting, and jet boating. The popular ski destinations of Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, and Cardrona are also close by. Our 220 guest rooms and suites, meetings facilities, business center, gym, feature contemporary city-inspired design.

Our luxury hotel also offers accessible rooms for our special needs guests with our friendly staff on hand to assist you anytime. Most of our accommodation also offers scenic views of Queenstown city and mountains, providing the perfect backdrop to your trip. Millennium Hotel Queenstown is a 4-star plus and Enviro-Gold Qualmark rated hotel, with an Environmental Sustainability Plan for the future. We are firmly committed to sustainability best practices, constantly reviewing and improving operations to minimize the impact on the environment.

Meal(s): Breakfast

Bring your stamina and sense of adventure – things get a little wild today. Nature rules as you skirt Queenstown’s gleaming Lake Wakatipu, and traverse the Devil’s Staircase to Te Anau, the alpine gateway to World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park. Once you’ve paused to admire the drama at Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat, Hollyford Valley lookout and Cleddau Valley, you’ll begin to understand why Rudyard Kipling called this the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. You haven’t even seen Bowen Falls or Milford Sound/Piopiotahi yet… The best Milford Sound/Piopiotahi cruise sees you in the company of an eagle-eyed guide, who not only knows the immense geological history of the region, but can also point out sun-baking fur seals and playful dolphins.

Hotel: Millennium Hotel Queenstown (4 Star Rating)

Right in the heart of the action, Millennium Hotel Queenstown is just minutes from Queenstown central shopping, entertainment, and outdoor activities such as bungy jumping, white water rafting, and jet boating. The popular ski destinations of Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, and Cardrona are also close by. Our 220 guest rooms and suites, meetings facilities, business center, gym, feature contemporary city-inspired design.

Our luxury hotel also offers accessible rooms for our special needs guests with our friendly staff on hand to assist you anytime. Most of our accommodation also offers scenic views of Queenstown city and mountains, providing the perfect backdrop to your trip. Millennium Hotel Queenstown is a 4-star plus and Enviro-Gold Qualmark rated hotel, with an Environmental Sustainability Plan for the future. We are firmly committed to sustainability best practices, constantly reviewing and improving operations to minimize the impact on the environment.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch

Take today’s Queenstown New Zealand tour at your own pace. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on a high-octane jet boat ride, perhaps. Prefer to be able to talk (and drink wine) while you cruise? Glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a guided farm tour, including morning or afternoon tea, in a dreamy alpine setting. Wherever you wander, be sure to save space for tonight’s Highlight Dinner at Postmasters Café, a historic Arrowtown cottage replete with picket fence and Instagrammable gardens.

Hotel: Millennium Hotel Queenstown (4 Star Rating)

Right in the heart of the action, Millennium Hotel Queenstown is just minutes from Queenstown central shopping, entertainment, and outdoor activities such as bungy jumping, white water rafting, and jet boating. The popular ski destinations of Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, and Cardrona are also close by. Our 220 guest rooms and suites, meetings facilities, business center, gym, feature contemporary city-inspired design.

Our luxury hotel also offers accessible rooms for our special needs guests with our friendly staff on hand to assist you anytime. Most of our accommodation also offers scenic views of Queenstown city and mountains, providing the perfect backdrop to your trip. Millennium Hotel Queenstown is a 4-star plus and Enviro-Gold Qualmark rated hotel, with an Environmental Sustainability Plan for the future. We are firmly committed to sustainability best practices, constantly reviewing and improving operations to minimize the impact on the environment.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner

Arrowtown, known for its charm, and Cromwell, for its stone fruit. Take a bite. Call in at the quaint, lakeside Church of the Good Shepherd welcomed by its friendly bronze sheepdog statue. As evening falls, you’re treated to a guided stargazing experience in the world-renowned UNESCO Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. See the famous Southern Cross, Magellanic Cloud, and Milky Way and getter a better look at these sparkling wonders with a powerful optical telescope.

Hotel: Peppers Bluewater Resort Lake Tekapo (4 Star Rating)

Peppers Bluewater Resort Lake Tekapo is located overlooking the breathtaking Lake Tekapo between Christchurch and Queenstown on New Zealand's South Island. The hotel has spectacular views across Lake Tekapo, the focal point of the Mackenzie Basin. This is the perfect base for exploring the region including Mt Cook National Park. There are 60 stylish lakeside rooms offered in a range of accommodation options including one, two and three bedroom luxury villas and apartments. Rakinui Restaurant and Lounge is a place to eat, drink and relax amongst warm friendly surroundings.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner

Arrive into the beautiful English city of Christchurch for a guided visit. The city is not only rebuilding itself after the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes, but is changing the way architects think about design. Case in point the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library.

Hotel: Distinction Christchurch Hotel (4 Star Rating)

The newly renovated Distinction Christchurch Hotel is an urban escape combining sophisticated smarts and familiar warmth, whilst standing proud amongst the buzz of the rejuvenation of Cathedral Square. The hotel is ideally positioned in the heart of the city only a few minutes' walk from the Avon River, Botanical Gardens, Christchurch Casino and Cashel Mall. Distinction Christchurch offers 179 elegant, air-conditioned hotel rooms, including 3 floors of brand new Superior Rooms and Suites out-fitted with the latest technology including flat screen Smart TVs and free unlimited WiFi. Designed to suit everyone from business travellers requiring spacious, contemporary accommodation to those travellers seeking a place to relax and unwind after a day exploring Canterbury's vibrant attractions

Meal(s): Breakfast

Travel north through rolling countryside to Hurunui Hills, for a Be My Guest experience with the Bamford Family. Enjoy warm kiwi hospitality from Scotty and the team, who have been farming at Hurunui since 1884 with six generations focused on producing premium Merino sheep, wool and Angus Cattle. You will hear from Maria in the woolshed and enjoy a sheep dog demonstration before morning tea in the garden. Continue to local vineyard Waipara Springs Winery where you will enjoy a platter style lunch among the vines.

Hotel: Distinction Christchurch Hotel (4 Star Rating)

The newly renovated Distinction Christchurch Hotel is an urban escape combining sophisticated smarts and familiar warmth, whilst standing proud amongst the buzz of the rejuvenation of Cathedral Square. The hotel is ideally positioned in the heart of the city only a few minutes' walk from the Avon River, Botanical Gardens, Christchurch Casino and Cashel Mall. Distinction Christchurch offers 179 elegant, air-conditioned hotel rooms, including 3 floors of brand new Superior Rooms and Suites out-fitted with the latest technology including flat screen Smart TVs and free unlimited WiFi. Designed to suit everyone from business travellers requiring spacious, contemporary accommodation to those travellers seeking a place to relax and unwind after a day exploring Canterbury's vibrant attractions

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

How did three weeks disappear like that? Re-live all the memorable moments on your way home.

Meal(s): Breakfast